Chapter 191: Kamuro Masumi: I want to steal that guy's things
Kamuro Masumi held her spoon, her gaze fixed on Shimizu Akira as she sipped her hot cocoa intermittently.
By the time she snapped out of her daze, she realized the spoon she had brought to her lips was long empty, and only a shallow ring of brown residue remained at the bottom of the cup. Yet, Shimizu was still doing push-ups; he hadn't stopped once since she began drinking.
Kamuro hadn't been counting the reps, but several minutes had passed. She estimated that it wasn't just a hundred—it was likely closer to four or five hundred by now.
"Alright, stop it," she couldn't help but say, shooting him a glare. Her tone carried a hint of inexplicable worry, though she felt a bit speechless inwardly.
She had clearly said to do a hundred, yet this guy had wordlessly kept going until now, not even thinking to call a halt himself after hitting the number. Then again... it really was quite an "appetite-whetter." It was the first time her appetite had been this good, finishing her cocoa in just a few minutes.
Kamuro's temperament was inherently different from ordinary people.
She had a shoplifting habit—not because of some tragic circumstance like being poor or needing gifts for siblings, but purely because she enjoyed the thrill of the "immoral act."
Sometimes when she felt bored or restless, she couldn't resist the urge to steal something just to enjoy that sense of transgression.
However, ever since she was caught red-handed by Shimizu Akira and Sakayanagi Arisu on the first day of school, she hadn't relapsed once. These past few days, her hands had started to itch again, but fortunately, her reason had managed to keep the upper hand. Perhaps there was a small, unspoken part of her that sought out Shimizu today for that very reason.
Still, she felt like she was getting the short end of the stick. Setting aside the shoplifting habit for a moment, she felt she had developed a new, strange malady: her appetite became exceptionally good whenever she watched Shimizu Akira do push-ups.
On another note, Shimizu was surprisingly obedient to her.
She hadn't liked talking to people since she was a child, had no friends, and her EQ wasn't high. Yet, she knew perfectly well that Shimizu sometimes humored her on purpose, which was why he was so compliant.
How did the saying go?
If you feel exceptionally comfortable talking to someone, it's probably because their EQ is higher than yours and they are accommodating your temperament.
Even though she understood this, she wasn't particularly angry. After all, someone willing to accommodate her like this wasn't easy to come by.
'After all, I did pay for it! I spent 30,000 personal points!'
Kamuro didn't actually expect Shimizu to ever pay those points back. He was just in Class D, while she was in Class A—"supporting" one Shimizu Akira was a task she could more than afford.
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As for Shimizu Akira, he hadn't intentionally counted how many push-ups he'd done, though he estimated it was over five hundred. He only stopped when he heard Kamuro Masumi call out.
After such intense exercise, his T-shirt was soaked through with sweat, clinging to his skin uncomfortably. Ordinarily, he would have jumped straight into the shower, but he had a guest over, and he smelled of sweat—girls generally cared a lot about such things.
Shimizu said, "Wait for me a moment. I have a bit of an odor, so I'll go to the bathroom for a quick rinse, wipe down with a towel, and change my clothes."
'An odor?!'
Kamuro instinctively twitched her nose and indeed caught a faint scent. Rather than a "weird smell," it was a scent mixed with sweat that belonged uniquely to Shimizu. He had been doing push-ups for so long that she only noticed it now that it was pointed out—she hadn't paid the slightest attention to it a moment ago.
Despite her thoughts, she spoke with a mockingly disgusted tone: "Go on then! You reek."
Shimizu smiled at her and ducked into the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, Kamuro curled her lip. That scent wasn't actually that bad; in fact, it was much more "alive" than the smell of disinfectant in the hallways. It was like grass that had been baked in the summer sun, mixed with the dry heat of sunlight on asphalt.
She sat down at the table, her eyes falling on the spot where Shimizu had just been. There was a small, shallow damp patch on the floor—likely where his sweat had dripped.
The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Kamuro suddenly stood up, her gaze instinctively sweeping the surroundings before landing on Shimizu's wardrobe. The door wasn't fully closed, revealing neatly folded school uniforms and a few pieces of athletic wear inside.
A sudden, inexplicable impulse surged in her heart—she actually wanted to pull the door open and rummage through it.
The thought was completely irrational. Kamuro shook her head quickly, trying to dispel the strange idea. She felt she had simply gone too long without stealing anything; now she felt like
reaching out and touching whatever she looked at. She forced herself back into her seat and fumbled with her phone, finally calming down.
Eventually, the bathroom door opened. Shimizu emerged drying his wet hair with a towel, having changed into a clean, light-blue T-shirt.
Watching him, Kamuro suddenly remembered a conversation between Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kohei from Class 1-A a few days ago—what Class A lacked most right now was muscle. Actually, her purpose in making him do push-ups earlier was to test the level of his physical fitness.
She was quite satisfied with the results. To be able to finish over five hundred push-ups in one go meant his physical condition couldn't be bad. In that case, he actually had a good chance of entering Class A.
However, she would never breathe a word of this to him.
First, it concerned Class A's secrets, which she couldn't reveal lightly.
Second, Shimizu wouldn't be the only one Class A might scout; he was merely one candidate among several.
Third, this was still just a plan and hadn't been finalized. She really didn't want to give him false hope; if it didn't work out, they might not even be able to remain friends.
The mere thought of that possibility was annoying. Still, knowing that Shimizu's physical condition was excellent meant there was nothing for her to worry about.
"I'm leaving!" She stood up abruptly and gave a wave.
"You're leaving already?!" Shimizu was clearly surprised. "What about your requests?! Was it really just the push-ups?"
"I'll tell you next time we meet," Kamuro said dismissively, already bending over to change her shoes.
What "requests" did she even have? Subconsciously, she just wanted him to find it easier to accept those 30,000 points. Besides, the guy had a boxing match next week! There was no need for her to cause him any unnecessary stress.
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New Fanfiction!
Hachiman please tone down your Inner Thoughts
While waiting for Yukinoshita in the clubroom, he unexpectedly travels to the world of Classroom of the Elite and becomes the representative of Class B.
Initially, he only intended to keep a low profile while helping Class B escape its tragic fate from the original story, and incidentally saving Ichinose Honami.
However, why these girls seems to know what am I Thinking?
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting